Affidavit details headlock and kicks in Nashville fatal bar fight

The fight ended on the pavement outside a downtown Nashville bar.

An arrest affidavit filed by Metro Nashville police alleges that Torey Ward, 45, was kicked repeatedly while Keith A. King Jr., 37, held the Atlanta man in a headlock. According to the document, multiple bystanders urged King to release Ward, and Ward's girlfriend attempted to pull King away. Despite these efforts, King continued to hold his arm around Ward's neck. Ward lost consciousness during the struggle and later died at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Detective notes indicate that the confrontation began inside Big Shotz on 2nd Avenue North on the night of Oct. 25. The affidavit states that King approached Ward's girlfriend, prompting Ward to strike King in the chest several times with an open palm. A verbal dispute followed, and bar staff asked the groups to leave. The men moved outside, where the physical altercation started. Footage from nearby businesses and anonymous sources showed King and Ward facing each other in fighting stances. The video captured King throwing the first punch, striking Ward in the face, before moving into the headlock.

Officers arrived at the scene at approximately 2:28 a.m. to find a crowd surrounding the unconscious Ward. A bystander was performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation before police and a rescue task force took over medical aid. King was arrested on Nov. 6 on a criminal homicide warrant. In earlier statements to police, King claimed he acted out of fear for his own safety. Ward's girlfriend told investigators that she tried to intervene in the fight outside but was injured by an unidentified woman in King's group.

The investigation included interviews with bar employees, Ward's acquaintances, and his girlfriend. The affidavit lists Oct. 26 as the offense date, although the narrative and a prior police news release identify Oct. 25 as the date of the fight.